


A Love Like Quicksilver

by awildlokiappears



Series: There's No Place I'd Rather Be [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Because it hit me like a brick., F/F, F/M, Florist/Bookshop AUs!, Gen, M/M, Repeatedly.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 10:51:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7615150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awildlokiappears/pseuds/awildlokiappears
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pietro and Wanda are like so many immigrants before them; they both came to America with little more than the clothes on their backs and their skills, and worked hard to build up their tiny florist's shop into a thriving business. Orphaned and both of them lonely in ways that not even they shared with one another, neither expected the whirlwind in human form that was Darcy Lewis...and her unwitting provocateur, Loki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Love Like Quicksilver

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Welcome back to my little series. For those just starting, hit up Broken Arrows to get the basics. Thanks to all those who gave me feedback on BA, I've gotten up the courage to try for another series, maybe try and get myself motivated to finish all my others...R&R helps so much! Let me know the good, the bad, and the ugly!

"Welcome to Scarlet Witch-Hazel!" Pietro smiled a little as Wanda's happy voice rang out, and went back to his arrangements, listening to his sister chat with a yawning Clint Barton. Finished with his current projects, he came over with Clint's usual order of royal purple-tipped lavender roses, and handed them off, grinning just a little as the archer whistled in admiration. He'd added a few pungent spruce boughs, the miniature ones he grew in his greenhouse, as well as a few sprigs of lily of the valley.

  
It made a truly striking bouquet, and one that he took great pride in, for it translated roughly into joyful well wishes for both himself, and his fiancé, Phil Coulson. Not to mention, it was a more...masculine arrangement than most people would understand, but as Clint ran his fingers over the soft spruce needles, well...He gave Pietro a warm smile, and a part of the younger man sighed, wishing that Clint hadn't been so deeply in love with Phil.

  
He was a handsome, elegant man, made more so by his obvious scars, short blond hair spiked up, his dark sunglasses messing them up a little, a goatee adding a little ruggedness to an already attractive face. Add to that a deliciously toned body and his now well-known skills with a bow, and well...He certainly rang Pietro's bell for men. Wanda's too; she sighed over him nearly as much as Pietro did, but they both knew there was no room in that man's heart for another.

  
He and Phil were a match, soul mates and still head over heels for one another. It'd been six months since they'd gotten back together (the story was legendary now at the coffee shop), and the Maximoffs were doing the floral arrangements for both wedding and reception in another four months' time. They were, perhaps, their best customers right now, because Clint always stopped by every few mornings before he went to work to grab a bouquet for Phil, and Phil always did the same for him in the afternoons when he was headed home.

  
And they weren't utterly insane about the wedding details; Phil was doing his own catering (he didn't care for anyone else's pastry), and Pietro had to admit, he couldn't wait to get a taste of the amazing meal they were planning out. Between Phil, Nick, and Maria, well...he blinked as Clint paid up, and was obviously talking to him.

  
"-so I told him, I don't have a problem with purple and blue for our colors, but we gotta talk to you and Wanda, I know that midsummer isn't always the best time, right?"

  
"...Well, that depends. If you both let us choose, then we can probably make it work with no problems, but if your hearts are set on a certain flower, that'll make it difficult." He was proud that he managed to catch up to the conversation, and he gave Clint a grin, leaning back against the counter while Wanda leaned over it, her dark eyes full of humor, and he slid a hand through his silver-tipped hair.

  
"...hmmm...y'know, I'll have to ask him. But thanks; I'm pretty sure we'll just go with what you two decide, but y'never know, Phil might get a wild hair for somethin' else. As always, thanks." Now his normal smirk softened into a genuine smile, and Pietro sighed inwardly again. Small wonder Phil had fallen in love so deeply. "I really do appreciate keepin' our favorites in stock, and lettin' us keep doing this every week. Our therapist is dead certain that things like this are helping more than any ordinary therapy could, and y'know, it's so nice to go home and see our flowers and relax and enjoy ourselves. And Lucky likes it too; he goes to work with Phil every morning, and he likes smelling flowers."

  
Both twins laughed at that, and waved as he went on his way, going back to their work with the kind of ease that only came from being both best friends and twins. They gave Phil his special arrangement (honey flower, stephanotis, and red roses) a few hours later, just after lunch, and Pietro made sure that Lucky got a tasty dog treat too, then back to work they went. They'd close up shop around seven pm, keeping their Sundays to themselves, and for tonight at least, they'd have dinner over at the cafe with the rest of the regulars. It was...something of a family dinner now; even Phil came back with Clint for a quick bite most nights.

  
So he didn't mind too much when Wanda went out to make a few deliveries; she had a knack for driving in New York that he, frankly, envied; he suspected it was their mother's temper that helped with that a great deal. Regardless, he enjoyed the quiet of the shop, free of Rromani swearing filling the small cab of their tiny smart car...though, it was pretty funny when she got into fights with some of the other Roma who'd immigrated from the old country...The bell over the door rang out merrily, and Pietro raised a warm smile, only to freeze when the young woman slammed a fifty dollar bill down on the counter and snarled so harshly that he almost cringed.

  
"How the fuck do I passive-aggressively say 'Fuck You' in flower?!?" He blinked, mind racing over exactly how you could and would say such a thing...and he raised a hand in entreaty when she looked about ready to start raging again.

"...Give me just a moment, and I think I might be able to solve your problem...actually, come with me, and we'll solve it together." He handed her the bill back, so that it didn't get lost, and locked the front door, putting the 'back in fifteen' sign up. Wanda would understand, and she came in through the back alley anyway. He grabbed his cart and motioned for her to follow, pulling out a plastic bowl and filling it with water while he ran over the possibilities of what he had in both the greenhouse and the shop. "Alright...so, we will need five different types, and I'm presuming that you'll want this arranged in something slightly semi-permanent?"

  
"...Yeah, please. Whatever it costs, I'll pay. I...it's been a very, very bad day." Oh, that he didn't doubt...as he pulled out some geraniums and foxglove (stupidity and insincerity), he studied her. Now that she wasn't utterly enraged, he was able to look a little past her sheer force of personality, and what he saw was a woman who was beautiful, all pale skin and utterly gorgeous curves, with long, dark wavy hair and the prettiest dark brown eyes. A pair of ruby-red lips matched her ample curves, and Pietro worried his lip a bit as he selected some meadowsweet (uselessness) and yellow carnations (you have disappointed me).

  
She was more than beautiful, though; she was quick and very obviously intelligent, and after that outburst, oddly patient. She didn't badger him along, didn't demand that he speed up his choosing, and when he set aside flowers that wouldn't work well with this particular message, she studied them, then the ones he'd already selected, and followed him through the shop. That spoke eloquently of her observational skills, and when he selected the last flower, three orange lilies (hatred), she followed him back to the counter.

  
"...I gotta say, that's a striking combo." He grinned and told her each of the meanings, to which her own grin lit her face. She was stunning when she smiled like that, and Pietro felt a bit star-struck. _So are you, miss beautiful..._

  
"Well, I do my best to know what each of our flowers signifies, and while I've never made this particular arrangement before, I think I might just make it a main arrangement. This will definitely be a big hit with our usual crowd!" She looked happy at that, and propped her elbows up on the counter, watching him set each flower just so. As he worked, she began to open up like one his lilies, her voice sounding a little sad.

 

"Like, I wouldn't have demanded it like that normally, and I am really sorry I came off that way. You were so patient and nice about it..."

  
"Well, I completely understand; it's not fun to have someone piss you off so completely." She laughed a little at that, and he smiled too, a little surprised that she hadn't asked about his accent. It wasn't so thick that most normal Americans couldn't understand, but it _was_ unique, and it was almost always the first thing someone asked about...well, it was quite nice.

  
"True, true...he's an asshole, but we're still friends, but I'm still really, really mad at him."

  
"Then flowers are an excellent token of one's exasperation; would you like me to provide the meanings on the card?"

  
"Ooh, you can do that? Go right on ahead!" He laughed and filled out the card once he was done, then settled the whole confection into a semi-ugly ceramic bowl that he'd despaired ever selling; she loved it. "Oh, that ugly little goblin in the side, that's PERFECT."

  
"I'll see if I can't find more! What better way to sell them...hell, I've tried breaking the damn thing, it's not once cracked."

  
"Even if it had, I'd take it; make a mess of his ugly steel and plastic desk....heeeey..." He laughed and shook his head, putting one of the uglier shades of green ribbon they had around the rim. "Awww..."

  
"No, no, I can't do that, dear lady. But I can give you a much nicer price than you were expecting; only twenty six, please."

  
"Seriously?"

  
"Well, these are the last of those breeds that I have in stock, so I'm happy to drop the price. And if I end up selling enough of them, I can keep that price nice and low for my customers."

  
"Oh, you're just so awesome...and...this is going to sound so stupid, but is your name pronounced Pye-tro?"

 

"Pea-tro, but thank you for asking! It's rare for anyone to actually ask."

  
"Well, I like you, and I didn't want to fuck up your name..." He actually blushed at that, and she giggled, eyes happy behind her thick-rimmed black glasses.

  
"...I like you too, Miss....?"

  
"No miss, just Darcy. Darcy Lewis!" He grinned and shook her hand.

  
"Pietro Maximoff. My twin, Wanda, and I both run this shop, and have for a few years now."

  
"That is so awesome; my friends and I just opened up a cozy bookshop right by Agents of Caffeine."

  
"Oh, we know everyone there! Nick helped us get our start when we first came to America."

  
"That's so cool; he's been helping us too get things set up, since my buddies are from Asgard, and my best friend is a professor at NYU."

  
"Oh, that's got to be an amazing combination." He laughed a little, the thought of two big burly Asgardians running a little Brooklyn bookstore, with another at an internationally recognized university as a professor pretty amazing. She grinned and nodded, eyes crinkled with laughter.

  
"Oh, it is...Jane's an amazing scientist, but Thor and Loki are hilariously awesome at keeping things safe in the store. I work the social media and marketing gauntlet, Loki does the books and ordering, and Thor's our big, blond, handsome cashier. We all three keep it stocked, and it's just a fun, fun job. I love it; I was a political science major, but...this is better. So much better." His eyes warmed and he found himself talking to her for another hour, until she finally had to leave.

  
He walked her out, waved her good bye, and after she'd disappeared up the street, he'd reset the sign and turned around...freezing as Wanda smiled that knowing little smile of hers at him, holding up what was obviously the receipt...with a number scrawled over it. And how had Darcy done that...? Probably when she was talking about her little brothers, and family back in Ohio. He'd been so happy listen, bearded chin in his palm, blue eyes on her brown...

  
"I would be angry, but you created a rather interesting arrangement, and I saw that you were keeping an eye on the door just in case; I'm rather proud, big brother." He felt the blush crawl up his cheeks, and she handed over Darcy's number with a gentle laugh. "Besides, that gave me time to make a few more deliveries. She's cute!"

  
"Yeah...she created a 'Fuck You' arrangement that I think we should carry." Wanda's grin widened at that, and she nodded.  
"Oh, I agree; that would go over wonderfully! I'll order more flowers, just leave me a list."

  
"Well, some of them I have back at home and in the greenhouse, so we'll only need geraniums."

  
"Good, those are quite cheap and easy. Well, if we haven't sold anything else today, how do you feel about closing up shop early?" He raised an eyebrow at that, even as he took off his blue apron; it wasn't often that Wanda let them close up before seven, and it was only five-fifteen now. She chuckled softly, and came over to the door, hanging up the closed sign and relocking the door.  
"Were the deliveries so profitable today?" He'd switched back to their native tongue, and she replied in kind, taking off her own red apron and tugging the tie out of her braid, letting it unfurl with a tired sigh.

  
"They were, and I made seven more orders too, so I'm happy to shut down, rather than us both sit around for two hours." He chuckled, took the list of new orders, and pinned it up on their board in the office, making a quick mental list of what he'd start with the next day. "And with Phil and Clint's wedding coming up, we'll be finally in the black!" He laughed and caught her up in a big bear hug, ruffling her hair like when she was little.

  
"You're the brains of the operation, little sister, as always! Why don't we go over to the cafe early, then?" With her enthusiastic agreement, they finished up their few tasks, and by six, were driving through the narrow streets to make their way over to the bustling little cafe.

  
He smiled to himself, holding up the receipt in the mellow light of the fading sun, and flipped it over, reading Darcy's loopy, pretty handwriting, memorizing her number. _What an amazing woman...Damn._

  
He had it bad already.

* * *

"Loki, take your damn flowers already, I got shit to do." Darcy slapped the ugly little goblin vase down on Loki's desk, ignoring his squawk of indignation, and flounced back to her tiny office. Well...office was a bit strong of a word, but tiny suited it well; it was pretty much the entirety of one huge old window, and about six feet wide, but at ten feet high, any claustrophobia vanished with the view of the garden on top of AoC. Melinda ran a thriving herb, vegetable, and fruit garden, and it was an honest delight for Darcy.

  
All she had to do was open the midway transom and a hundred scents filled her tiny space. She loved it, like she'd loved so many of the things in the neighborhood they'd all moved into over the last few months, and wondered if Pietro was thinking about her still...probably. She grinned a little, feeling the boost of confidence that came when she'd successfully got a guy's interest...but he was a little different. Not his ethnicity, or at least, she didn't care about that. Sure, he was pretty dreamy with that silver-tipped, dark brown hair, those gorgeous blue eyes...that equally gorgeous body...olive skin and ridiculous smile...

  
But he was older, pretty darn sweet, and good at his job; she could only name one of those qualities in her last boyfriend. And...well...he'd talked to her. Not at her boobs, not at her ass, but to her face, his eyes on hers, his blush so fucking cute...She was swooning, and she knew it, so she put her fluttering heart in place and got her laptop booted up, putting up the Wednesday Read-a-Thon announcement on Facebook, checking the store's Twitter feed, and working on her latest Photoshop poster.

  
She tried to be pretty good about making them easy to print and fairly cheap, while looking professional, crisp, and clean in layout. Loki liked her work enough that he was happy to pay for full color, though from time to time she enjoyed a little retro black and white. And hell, with steampunk and noir fiction on the rise, she was able to craft some really gorgeous pull-off side panels for the display shelves, one covered in gears and cogs and brass finish, the other all gunmetal gray and shadows.

  
Thor was in love with the mythology panels she'd done, and she wondered if she could get away with making some for every part of the store. It certainly helped with sales, and so many customers complimented the work that went into each one...but that was a thought for tomorrow. Right now, she wanted to get her stuff done and go eat; Loki kept them open till eight pm, though he usually cut herself and Thor around six, six-thirty...And speak of the devil himself.

  
"Hey, Loki." She knew the sound of his steps over the floorboards on the second floor pretty well, but she didn't turn around.

  
"...I must say, I'm quite impressed with the flowers; it's not every day you get told to go fuck yourself with a bouquet explicitly designed for that purpose." She grinned to herself, keeping her back to him.

  
"Well, you know, you did piss me off at lunch."

  
"Mm, if you say so; I was only telling the truth."

  
"And that truth is that I'm too impulsive to help you with the books, isn't it?" She turned now, serious, because it had hurt this morning, and she really didn't appreciate being basically told that she was a flake. He sighed, just a little.

  
"...Can we take this to the breakroom? Please? Both of us would be more comfortable there...."

  
"And Thor can't fit in here." He winced, and privately she smirked; one for Darcy.

  
"Yes, that too. Please?" She sighed, saved her changes, and got up to follow him; her mood was slightly mollified by the fact that he let her have the biggest, comfiest bean bag, while he took the littlest one. Thor was in his own favorite, and she made herself comfortable before she spoke again.

  
"I get that I'm kinda spastic, and maybe a little flaky, but seriously, Loki, I'm pretty damn good with finances; hell, my own loans are all paid off already, and I didn't even finish college." He acknowledged that hit with another wince, and she plowed on, stubborn and just a little unhappy.

  
"You want someone who's in house, who knows what they're doing, and who has the shop's best interests at heart while you and Thor work on expanding the back. I can do this; more than that, I will gladly do it, seven days a week, all day long if you need me to. The fact that your friend Heimdall is flying in to help, along with Fandral, really helps too. And with Hogun and Volstagg coming in from their jobs on the busy nights, then we'll be just fine. So, why did you say no?"

  
She watched as he went over all of her points, testing them like he always did, and her heart sank when he sighed a little.

  
"...I said no only because I wanted you to have a chance to enjoy a social life." She blinked, sitting back in the snuggly beans, and his thin-lipped smile warmed considerably. "I shouldn't have said what I said, but you're a very social creature, Darcy; there's not a thing wrong with that. You're no butterfly, you're a happy sparrow of a woman who brings laughter and annoying music to everyone you meet. And the thought of you being cooped up here, for twelve hours every day, poring over ledgers and finances, well...it just absolutely offends my sense of honor."

  
"...you actually do mean that. Wow. You...want me to go out, enjoy myself?"

  
"Yes, I do. I appreciate the help, and I'll be honest, I think I will take you up on it, extra pay included for doing the extra work on top of your designing. But, maybe half days? Would that be acceptable?"

  
"...yeah, I think I can handle that!" He grinned, green eyes twinkling with mischief and joy, and she forgave him in her heart, and maybe a little because he was absolutely gorgeous. And he knew it; Thor was happy with Jane, he loved her for both her beauty and her brain, and Loki was...well, the player. Sometimes. Less so lately, though, and she was a little surprised he hadn't shown any interest in becoming more than friends with her...But maybe he knew that they'd just end up fighting. They already fought a lot as it was.

  
And besides, she really liked Pietro. Really, really liked Pietro...To her surprise, though, they were planning on closing up things early when she came back to the conversation, and Thor went back downstairs to check out the last few customers. Loki answered the question in her eyes with a warm smile.

  
“We’re all tired, and it’s...not been a fun day. Agreed?”

  
“...y’know what? Agreed. So, what’s the plan for tonight? I was gonna hit the cafe, join up with the family dinner.”

  
“I believe I’ll join you, if I may; Thor and Jane are going out for dinner and a movie tonight.”

  
“Awesome. Oh, hey, you’ll appreciate this, I met a really hot florist today, he’s the guy who made your bouquet...” They threw jabs at one another for the next half-hour or so, getting the last of their work done, before Thor locked the doors and they parted ways out back. Darcy couldn’t help hugging the big blond; he had those kinda hugs that just radiated ‘It’s going to be okay’ and ‘You’re a wonderful person’. It was nice, even if she personally didn’t feel like it was true.

  
Loki held the door open for her when they made it down the alley and to the front of AoC, and she felt a little nervous when she saw the small crowd sprawled around several of the largest tables. Most of them were people she knew; Phil, Clint, and their adopted-ish brood of college freshmen and sophomores, and she waved and grinned at Kate, America, Billy, and Teddy. From there, May, Natasha and Maria filled up that table, and the next started with Nick Fury, Bruce, Tony, and Steve, who were laughing at two obviously together guys.

  
The tall brunette with the dark-ringed eyes she thought was Bucky, Steve’s best friend, and his boyfriend, with the gorgeous dark skin...Sam! That’s right, Sam Wilson. She prided herself in knowing everyone’s name now, and almost bounced over, laughing when Tony swept her up in a big bear hug. Bruce was no better, but then again, they were her teachers in sarcasm and snark now that she lived in New York, and she prided herself in learning as much from them as possible...That’s when the bell rang again.

  
And who should come in but Pietro, closely followed by a beautiful, dark-haired girl who, judging by the similarities their faces, was probably his twin sister. She blushed when he grinned at her, those blue eyes lighting up like the sky outside, and out of the corner of her eye, she almost smirked when she saw Loki welcome Wanda. Oh, she was gonna have fun with those two...but right now, Pietro was holding a chair out for her, his smile so sweet, and she couldn’t help herself.

  
She smiled back, sat down, and he pushed her chair in as she went, just as gentlemanly as anyone could ask for, and she tried not to grin like a dorky school girl when he took the seat next to her. Wanda sat on his other side, laughing as Loki did the same for her, but Darcy was lost in Pietro, their conversation from before expanding, growing into something that was so much more. All the conversation paused though, when Clint, Tony, Phil, and Nick all brought out dinner; eight enormous pizzas, with garlic bread sticks, homemade marinara, and Darcy’s jaw dropped.

  
Glancing over, she was grateful that she wasn’t alone in that; the other three were just as completely star struck, and the smell...oh god, the smell was heavenly. Enough that she had to comment on it, and when she caught Phil’s smug eye, she grinned.  
“Phillip J. Coulson, you are the best goddamn chef on the fucking planet. Clint, I hope you and Lucky go out every day to run, because you’ll both end up round as those bean bags!” Everyone broke up laughing at that, and Phil just grinned, looking quite satisfied, while Clint gave her a toothy grin, just this side of wicked.

  
“Trust me, sugar, we make up other ways to get our exercise!” She went bright red at that, and everyone else erupted in roars of laughter, as Tony spun the cutter through each pizza with the ease of a man who’s done it most of his life. But it softened as her ears stopped burning, and she was just happy to be a part of this amazing group of people. Darcy smiled at Phil and Clint, so ridiculously sweet, even if Clint was trying to inhale the whole fucking slice while Phil had his folded.

  
She grinned as Lucky popped up long enough to steal a slice from Kate, and laughed a little when the others teased her...and it was amazing, really, to just sit back and see everyone laughing and talking excitedly and eating and just generally...well...being a family. Never mind that Natasha and Maria were both once spies, Nick a former Director of SHIELD. Melinda was just a hundred sixty pounds of badass spy grandma, and as for the rest, well...

  
“They are a wonderful family; it gives Wanda and I both something to feel a part of.” Pietro’s voice was soft, close to her ear, and she turned back to him, eyes crinkling a little as he shared a secret smile with her. “I miss our parents, I do, but...when we’re here, that loneliness doesn’t seem so bad, you know?”

  
“...I do. I...I love my family, but we’re so different, and visiting...is hard sometimes. Really hard, because, well, we just don’t get along like we used to...and here, even when everyone fights, things get brushed away and forgiven so quickly...I love it.” He smiled again, those warm lips quirking up, and she suddenly wanted to kiss them, see if they were just as soft as they looked. But that might be a little bit too soon...no, she’d wait. Besides...she had pizza to demolish, and judging by Pietro’s grin, he felt the same way.


End file.
